4. Professional Distance

Jacob's POV

We were working late tonight; Rima was at my home office, and we had been at it for three hours now, preparing for a new campaign. I could have asked one of my marketing team to work on it, but it was a charitable event that I wanted to oversee for myself. This client was the first I ever landed when I started the company, and for some reason, I wanted Rima to be the one working with me on it and not any of the marketing team members.

Despite not having much knowledge yet, I was determined to hear her inputs and ask her questions. At first, she was a little hesitant to say what was on her mind. I could understand that she knew she was out of her element and was afraid to say something that would make me feel like I made a mistake by hiring her. She didn't have the depth of knowledge I was looking for, but I encouraged her anyway. I knew she would get there because she had determination, and it was clear as crystal in her eyes. That's also part of the reason why I was involving her from the very first day.

We finally stopped at 9 to have dinner that Tessa had prepared for us. She had delicately asked Rima what she preferred, and Rima was shy at first, telling her she would eat anything. But when Tessa suggested a dish with salmon in it, I watched her hesitate as she bit her lip, not knowing how to say no but not wanting to say yes either because she apparently didn't like salmon. I took the initiative and asked Tessa to prepare something else, so she made chicken with butter sauce and a green salad on the side.

We were in the middle of eating when I couldn't contain my curiosity. My eyes had landed on the inside of her forearm more than once throughout the day whenever she unconsciously raised her long sleeves, revealing a tattoo that read "George Forever" in black cursive letters.

"Who's George?" I asked all of a sudden, watching her almost choke on the bite she had just put in her mouth.

She reached for the glass of water with shaky hands and drank it all in one gulp, then looked at me with a puzzled expression "What… what do you mean by 'who's George?' Where did that come from?"

I pointed at her forearm and said in a steady tone "It came from your tattoo"

Understanding dawned on her features, and I watched her relax a bit. Where did she think my question had come from?

She gave me a hard look, one I hadn't seen from her before, and said in a curt tone "It wasn't forever, if that's what you're really asking about. Although, to be honest, I don't see how that is of any relation to our work. I don't mean to be rude, Mr. Snow, but my personal life is private and not up for discussion. There's a line between curiosity and intrusion, and we shouldn't cross it. I would appreciate it if we keep our conversations focused on professional matters alone while we're at work, please"

Her reaction confused me a little; it took me off guard because I didn't expect her to negatively react to that question. I thought she'd just tell me it was someone close to her and move on. I didn't expect such a question to rattle her like that. Despite the hard look on her face, her eyes showed a vulnerability so intense I found myself not even capable of getting hurt or offended for subtly being put in my place by my own personal assistant.

I cleared my throat and nodded, saying firmly "I understand. I didn't mean to be intrusive. We won't have any problems keeping things professional"

Things got a little more stiff between us when we returned to work. She became more serious and formal for the rest of the night. Her defensive walls were there before, but now, they reached higher than the Eiffel Tower.

That's when I decided that she was right to put me in my place. I don't remember ever asking any of my personal assistants about their private lives; I never even cared about anything other than the work they were doing for me. I had no right to pry, but I did, and that's what made me all the more aware that she was taking a special place. However, her refusal to share woke me up and made me realize that I was being unprofessional. She's right; she's my employee and not my friend. I should keep my head clear and focus on work like I always did. Besides, it looked like whatever I was feeling, I was feeling it on my own because she pretty clearly had no interest in including me in anything related to her personal life, and I should respect that. There is a fine line between interest and respecting someone's boundaries, especially when they make it clear.

With a forced smile that barely reached her lips, she said "Thank you for taking the time to include me in this campaign with you, Mr. Snow. I really gained a lot by being a part of it"

I answered in the same formal tone she was using to ensure she believed that I would never cross that line again "Of course, but I expect you to be up to speed as the days pass and not only suggest ideas but work on them and present them to me using the various tools we just worked on. We took too much time to complete this campaign when it should have been done in a lot less. Make sure you do your own research when you have the time"

She blinked, nodded her head without saying anything else, then turned around and left at once.

As I sat there, reflecting on her behavior and my decision to remain indifferent no matter how mysterious her life appeared to be, I couldn't help but feel a pang of regret. Perhaps I had overstepped, but I also couldn't deny the connection I felt with her. For now, I would respect her boundaries and focus on our work. But deep down, I knew that my curiosity about Rima would not easily be quelled. Time would tell if the walls between us would ever come down, or if they would continue to grow taller, separating us both professionally and personally.